Pawns Alike: Book One
by Orthros
Summary: A horrible forest fire of unknown origin has destroyed most of Nuvema Town, and newly orphaned Amber Thompson is sent to live with her grandparents in Sinnoh. Challenged by her recent horror and conflicting emotions, she starts her life over at her new school: Twinleaf Academy. Little does she know that her snobby classmates are the least of her worries. And just who IS this Terry?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Welcome, readers, old and new. This is the rewrite of my first story, _Gardevoir, My Angel._** **I stopped writing the story near the climax of the second book, and, due to personal issues, lost motivation to continue. However, I'm back now and ready to give it another shot.** **For now, only the Prologue will be posted. I plan on finishing the story, or at least the first book, before posting again. This could change, depending on how many requests I get.**

 **I want to thank all the readers who stuck through the story so far. _Gardevoir, My Angel_ has hit over 15,000 views, and over 60 follows/favorites. I hope that this new story will do even better. ****I'm not very far into the rewrite as of now, so for the time being, I will** _consider_ **SYOC submissions. Whether or not I use any, I haven't decided yet. Feel free to go back and read the original, if you'd like. It starts out pretty slow, though.**

 **For now, that's all I have to say. Good night, and happy reading and writing. It's good to be back.**

 **-Orthros**

* * *

There comes a moment in everyone's life where you realize your life is over. Where your fate comes to light, where you utter their last breath. The time at which you realize the truth, and your soul slips Onward.

Many people are defiant in their final moments and do not wish for it to end, you might say. But that is unrelated. I do not speak of a person's final _moments,_ but rather their final _moment,_ in which your consciousness releases it's grip upon the Earth.

What's the difference? Everything. I should know. I died already, after all.

I felt many things in my final moment, but the most overwhelming one was kind of hard to describe. Peace, perhaps. It certainly was peaceful, compared to the time before that _,_ at least. Another could be relief, in the sense that my life had finished.

A wise man had once said "not to pity the dead, but the living." And he was sort of right. The feeling of death was far better than I expected. But along with it came a hollow, lonely feeling of losing my friends. Even people I thought I had no love for, I came to miss. Only the knowledge that I would see them again comforted me.

I still don't recommend dying, at least, not before your time. You lose more than I think it's possible for you to realize. Although, I may not be the highest opinion for that… I'm not even sure if I died at "my time" or not. Perhaps I should consult… Never mind.

Another saying that gets tossed around goes something like "your loved ones are watching over you from above, protecting you, always," and that's also only half right. After all, I'm watching my friends finish up my funeral right now, far below me, and I can't do anything to interact with them, much less "protect" them. Root for them, perhaps, but not much else.

Evil comes in many forms, but there's one thing that every form has in common: None of them are the worst. There will always, _always,_ be a new level of horror that one can sink to. If I could tell the people kneeling at my grave any one thing, it would be that. Not that I love them, no, they already know that. Now all I can do is pray.

There's a couple of pokemon kneeling at my grave, one crying, the other rubbing her back softly. A few people stand behind them, grief and anguish in their eyes. After a couple more minutes, they slowly pull the pokemon away, gently leading them out of the graveyard.

I'm glad they did. They have plenty of work to do, after all.


	2. Chapter One: Burning Scars

**A/N: By request, Chapter One is now up. Let me know what you think with a review.**

 **"Differentiable" is not an official word in the English language. However, it's accepted more often then not in the context. Therefore, I'm going with it.**

 **Good night, and happy reading/writing.**

 **-Orthros**

* * *

 **-Twinleaf Town-**

"What a freak!"

"From Unova, supposedly."

"Ugh, why is she even _here?_ Who is she?"

The girl in question lowered her gaze and quickened her pace. Whispers filled the hall as she passed, the students gawking almost openly at her. Taking a glance at the sticky note peeking out of her newly purchased science journal, she took a turn down a, thankfully, less crowded hallway. She stopped in front of her locker and leaned her forehead against the cool metal surface. _Why is this so damn hard?_ She wondered.

Amber Thompson didn't usually have any trouble with insults. She got plenty of them, after all: for her pudgy face, short height of four foot six despite being 15 years old, the freckles that dominated her complection, clashing horribly with her frizzly brown hair and sickly amber eyes for which she was named.

No, she had learned quickly to just ignore the insults and to not let them get to her. Unfortunately, she knew the answer to her question. She just didn't want to think about it.

"So, you're the new kid?"

 _Here we go,_ she thought. Turning around, her eyes traveled upward, not quite meeting the gaze of the girl that had spoken to her. Amber labeled her, quite accurately, as the typical snobby cheerleader stereotype that always wanted to put the new girl in her place.

"Yes," Amber responded. Turning back, she unlatched her locker and started to put her books in place. Not deterred, the other girl put her hand on the next door over and leaned her hourglass frame against it.

"So is it true, then? You came from Nuvema Town because of the fire?"

Amber winced as the memories threatened to overwhelm her. She took a deep breath. "Yes."

The other girl laughed. "I thought I smelled woodsmoke around here somewhere. What's your name, deary?"

Amber sighed. She latched her locker as the two minute warning bell sounded. Turning around, she did her best to meet the girl's gaze. "The name's Amber. And I don't want to talk about it, so leave me alone." Before the girl could say anything else, she quickly walked away.

* * *

Another minute's walking brought Amber to the Science classroom. Despite there being only a minute to go before classes were to begin, she was only the second to enter. The other student, a small, dark-skinned boy dressed in sweatpants and a black NASA t shirt with large, old-looking glasses sat near the front, his nose buried in a Chemistry textbook.

"Hi," she pointed to the desk next to him. "This seat taken?"

He looked up, raising his eyebrows in confusion. Amber could practically see the gears in his eyes turning as he rapidly deduced her situation. He shook his head.

"Nope. Seats aren't assigned. You can sit wherever you like."

Amber nodded and set her belongings on the desk next to his. As she settled, he asked, "You're new here then?"

"Yeah. I moved from Unova last Friday. My name's Amber Thompson."

He held his hand out to her. "Alex Gates. It's good to meet you."

They shook hands, and Alex flipped a page in his textbook. He paused. "Are you from Nuvema Town?"

Amber looked away. "Y-yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it."

Alex nodded, a sad smile on his face. "I understand."

More students started arriving, whispers floating between them. Amber heard her name spoken more than once, but before someone could start something, the teacher walked in. He was an old, balding man, but he looked sturdy and healthy. His face was weather beaten, as though he had stood atop Mount. Coronet for centuries, undeterred by the blizzards as they hammered him.

"Good morning, students," he stated formally. "Before we begin, we've a new face among us." he turned to Amber. "Stand please, Miss, and introduce yourself."

Amber stood wearily, gazing around at the class. "My name's Amber. Amber Thompson." She sat down just as quickly. Fortunately, the teacher seemed satisfied.

"Well, Amber, we're glad to have you. My name is Mr. Wendinson, and as you've probably guessed, I'm the science teacher." he grabbed a short stick and pointed at the whiteboard, which had diagrams of several different atomic structures written on it. "We're currently part of the way into our study of atoms. Though you did well on your placement tests, I would like to ask you to watch and listen for today, while I find some material to catch you up."

Alex spoke up: "She can borrow my notes, Mr. Wendinson." He glanced at me. "If you want, that is."

Amber smiled at him. _Maybe not EVERYONE is a complete loss here._ "Sure, please."

Mr. Wendinson nodded. "Very well. And now, as we discussed on Friday, the atomic structure of different elements are differentiable how…"

* * *

After school ended, Amber gathered her things and hurriedly left the building. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she started her short walk home. She caught sight of the school's name as she was crossing the parking lot, clad in large, black letters:

 **Twinleaf Academy**

 **Where the gifted come to excel!**

It made her want to vomit. Badly.

As she reached the corner, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, surprised to see Alex approaching. He gave her a small smile.

"Hey," he said casually.

"Hi," she said nervously as he matched pace with her. "Is your place back this way too?"

He nodded as they crossed the small street. In the distance, Twinleaf main square, small as it was, could be seen nestled in the trees ahead of them. "Yeah. I live over in the Pinewood area. I wanted to ask; how was your first day?"

She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Because nearly everyone at Twinleaf Academy is an asshole, and I wanted to make sure one of my friends made it through alright."

She blushed slightly. "W-well, thanks, I guess… It could've been worse, I suppose. The students seem… less than enthused about going to a school as good as this one."

Alex scoffed. "'School?' How about 'madhouse?' There's only a couple of people there that actually WANT to be there, and those that do get picked on for actually wanting to learn. Only reason I stay is because the teachers are good if you give them the time of day to actually _teach_ you." He finished his rant, and silence ensued. After a couple of moments, he blushed. "Sorry."

Amber laughed slightly. "No, I understand. The way it worked out… Well, I wasn't being challenged at my old school. After the-"

A snobby voice came from behind, cutting her off. "Hey, Alex!"

Together, the two of them turned around. The voice belonged to a burley senior dressed in a leatherman, rough jeans, a pair of expensive but worn looking tennis shoes and an even pricer-looking pair of shades covering his eyes. There was a girl next to him, who Amber recognized at once as the girl that had tried to mess with her that morning.

Alex sighed. "What do you want, Damien?"

Damien grinned, showing off two rows of yellowed teeth. "Nothing to do with you, of course. Who's your nerdy friend?"

Amber glared at him. "My name is Amber. And like he said, what do you want?"

"Doll, we just wanted to introduce ourselves," the girl smiled patronizingly. "I never even got to tell you my name. It's Glimmer, by the way."

Despite the situation, Amber snorted. "Glimmer? Really?"

Glimmer's smile melted, and Damien stepped closer. "Got a problem with that? Because if you do, I can help you with it," he said, cracking his knuckles.

Before Amber could respond, Alex gently put a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her back, stepping in front of her, which was surprising to Amber. After all, Douglas had to be at least twice his size.

"Leave her alone, Damien. Wouldn't want to take things too far with everyone out and about, now would we?"

Damien glanced around, noting the parents and students still within sight. A fight would surely be noticed at once. He shrugged.

"Whatever. Let's go, Glimmer." Damien pushed roughly past Alex, knocking him to the ground. Glimmer followed, latching back onto his arm.

Amber watched them go for a moment, before turning back to Alex. She offered him a hand. "Thanks for that," she said sincerely.

"No problem," he responded as she helped him up. He dusted off his sweatpants and smiled, albeit a bit forced, at her. "Would you allow me to walk you home, madame?" he joked, bowing low and kissing her hand.

Amber laughed and offered him her arm. "Of course, my good sir," she played along. Alex tucked her arm in his and allowed her to lead the way. They turned right just before entering the town square, down a narrow side street. Alex pointed his house out to her as they passed, and Amber took note of it.

Finally they stopped in front of a small, worn-looking single story home. Brown paint, just starting to peel, coated the home, with white trim across the small windows. It had nothing on the garden in front, however. The yard was positively bursting with beautiful blossoms in all colors. As they turned into the driveway, a cry sounded from the garden. As they turned their heads towards it, a green form darted out of the flowers and slammed into Amber, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Twig," the Turtwig cried happily. It nuzzled her roughly, but Amber just laughed.

"Good lord, I thought you were being attacked," Alex said a bit shakily. He had jumped back in alarm and withdrawn a pokeball from one of his pockets.

"No," Amber said, still laughing slightly. "This is my Turtwig, Fate. My dad was a Ranger, see, and Fate was his partner. She joined me after he…" She trailed off, but Alex nodded.

"Good to meet you, Fate," he said softly. He pulled Amber to her feet. "So, the house…?"

Amber nodded and stepped after him. "It's my grandparent's house. Grandpa was a Ranger too, but he's retired. Grandma used to tend to Gardinia's grass gym, believe it or not. She's an excellent gardener. C'mon in."

She opened the front door and stepped over the threshold. She was immediately bombarded with the familiar scent of the house, which, before her move, she had not smelt since she was little. She still hadn't quite gotten used to it yet.

The door opened up into a large living room. The floor was carpet, the walls a light cream. Like the outside, they were obviously old and in need of an update, but they were at least clean. Across the room, a small kitchen was set, partially closed off by an island. A hallway jetted off to their left, presumably to the bedrooms and bathroom.

Amber kicked off her shoes by the door and walked in, taking a deep breath. She chuckled as Fate bounded ahead of her, rounding the back of the couch so she could jump onto it. She stretched, then quickly scooped up the Tiny Leaf pokemon. Ignoring it's protests, she deposited her on the middle seat and took the corner for herself. She craned her neck back towards Alex, who was standing in the doorway.

"Well?" She asked pointedly. "I said c'mon in."

Alex nodded, depositing his sneakers nex to hers as he closed the door behind him. He strode around the couch as well, gazing at the rather blank room. Finally, he took a seat on Fate's other side. Amber took note of the pokeball that was still held in his palm.

"You've got a pokemon too?"

"Yeah," Alex said, grinning. "Wanna meet him?"

Amber nodded quickly. She was a huge pokemon-lover, and she knew it. She always had to make friends with them.

"Alright then. Come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air in front of them. It split open, and a burst of blinding white light escaped, accompanied by an exotic, monkey-like cry.

"Chimchar!" the fiery Chimp pokemon squealed. He jumped into Alex's lap, making the boy laugh.

"He's so cute!" Amber said happily. "My name's Amber," she added as Chimchar turned his head towards her. He smiled and jumped into Amber's lap next. The Chimp was warm to the touch, she noted, being careful to avoid the flame on his rear end.

"His name's Felt, because when he was a baby he found a box of it that our mother had hidden away for art projects, and ended up burning it all while playing with it," Alex said, grinning at the memory. Amber laughed along with him, imagining the scene.

"Twig!" Fate called to her fellow Sinnoh starter. Felt bounded off the couch after the Tiny Leaf pokemon as the two raced around the room.

"Goodness!" Amber and Alex jumped up as an elderly lady's voice sounded behind them. The lady in question was old and thin, but clearly healthy for her age. There was a strength one couldn't quite define etched into the wrinkles in her skin and the lights in her eyes. Amber strode forward and hugged her.

"Hi, grandma!"

"Hello, Amber," the lady smiled at her. Her eyes traveled to Alex, giving him a once over. "Who's your friend?"

"His name's Alex," her granddaughter responded. "Alex, this is my grandmother, Emily Thompson. Grandma, this is Alex Gates."

"A pleasure," Alex said.

"It's good to meet you too, Alex," Emily responded kindly. "Although I must protest to having your pokemon playing inside, however cute he may be. You two," she looked pointedly in the direction of the two pokemon. "Go play tag outside, then."

She opened the door, allowing the eager starters to bound outside. "Your grandfather went over to Professor Rowan's lab. He said something about the Professor asking for his help on a project," Emily continued. "And no, he said you couldn't come this time," she added as Amber opened her mouth.

"Aww," Amber pouted.

Alex chuckled, then glanced down at his watch. "Crap, I'm gonna be late. Thanks for having me, Amber, Mrs. Thompson."

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Thompson said kindly. "See that you walk him out the door, Amber."

Amber rolled her eyes as her grandmother retreated back down the hallway, then followed Alex out the door once again. They paused on the small porch. She hesitated, unsure of what to say: "I… Thanks, Alex."

Alex smiled sadly. "You're welcome. What's say we hang out tomorrow? We'll have to double check our schedules, but I think we have a couple classes together, at least."

"That sounds like a good idea," Amber responded, trying to keep the relief out of her voice. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Sure," Alex said happily. He hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, he gave Amber a quick hug. It didn't last more than a second, then he was off. He called to his Chimchar as he jogged down the driveway, but Amber barely noticed.

 _He… hugged me,_ Amber thought haltingly. She wasn't sure what to think, really, as she watched him disappear out of sight around the corner. She hadn't liked it very much…

 _But I didn't hate it either._

* * *

"Amber?!"

A frantic voice yelled up the stairs, snapping the girl awake. Her room was dark, but she could faintly make out the desk at the foot of her bed, the closet across the floor, and the stairs in the far corner. A low buzz seemed to fill the room, like the roar of a mighty dragonite from miles away.

"AMBER?!" the voice screamed again. It sounded scared, and Amber called out in response as a silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Mom? What's going on?" Now fully awake, she jumped out of bed, hastily pulling on the top she had discarded before falling asleep earlier that night. Her mother's form fully materialized, standing at the top of the stairs.

"We've got to go! Now! Get dressed!" she said, urgency lacing her voice. Amber nodded, not questioning her as she hurriedly pulled on the rest of her clothes. As she turned back to her mother, she noticed the curtains covering her window. A faint orange glow seemed to emanate from them.

Despite her urgency, she didn't try to stop Amber from slowly crossing the room. She spread the curtains wide. And screamed. She spun around and raced after her mother as they pounded down the stairs.

"Amber? Honey?" A gruff voice called out. Amber reached the bottom of the stairs and nearly bowled over her father. "Thank Arceus. Out the back! Now!" His eyes, normally bright and cheery, were hard and scared. His voice held absolutely no room for argument, not that Amber had been planning on questioning him.

They crossed through the small house, towards the back door. The roar was far louder here, threatening to drown her in it's horrible hum. The smell of smoke began to penetrate her nose.

 _ **BOOM.**_

A huge explosion blasted Amber off her feet. She flew through the air, too stunned to even react, before landing in a heap in the living room. It was a miracle she hadn't impaled herself on anything.

Her mother wasn't so lucky.

Her father limped over to her, shock and grief and anger all fighting for control over his features. He took a deep breath as he reached her. "Are you alright?"

"M-mom," Amber spluttered.

"I know," he said, fighting back a sob. "But we've got to go. Come on!"

It was true. Even as he pulled the horrified girl to her feet. The room continued to burn around them. Fire spread almost unnaturally fast through the room. The back door had seemingly been blown apart, and Amber noticed that their old gas oven was now a crater. _It must've exploded,_ she realized.

She forced herself to look away as her father pulled her towards the hole. She was shaky, and he seemed to realize it. Bending down, he scooped her up like a sack of potatoes and rushed out the door.

Amber would never forget the sight. The whole world seemed to be burning around them. Fire was everywhere, the roar of the flames like a constant scream. Buildings had collapsed around them, the street littered with debris.

Several pokemon rangers were out in the street, commanding water types of all sorts, but they clearly weren't a match for the flames. Instead, they kept the streets as clear as they could. They shouted over the din, herding what few people they could towards the north end of the city. Route One was probably the safest place, Amber realized, what with the river nearby and assistance probably rushing in from Accumula Town even as they ran.

They reached a relatively safe spot, and Amber's father set her down. She gripped him tightly.

"It's alright, Amber. Listen to me: you need to get to safety. I'm going to do what I can to help."

She wanted more than anything for him to stay, but she knew he wouldn't change his mind. She hugged him fiercely. "Be safe," she said, trying not to sob. "Please. I can't lose you too."

" _But you did lose him, didn't you?"_

Amber jumped backwards, screaming in horror. Her father, just moments ago alive and fighting, was now a corpse. A rotting, half-burned corpse with blackened teeth and bleeding, lifeless eyes.

" _A tragedy,"_ the voice mused, and Amber fought to avoid vomiting as she realized it was coming from her father's blackened mouth. The flesh seemed to bubble and pop even as it spoke. It was evil and cruel, icey and merciless. " _But a necessary one. Look around, child. You caused this, after all."_

Amber wanted nothing more than to lay down and sob, but, against her will, she slowly rose and turned in a circle. The ruins of Nuvema Town stood stark against the grey sky. Victims of the fire lay scattered around the street, some burned, others holding their throats, hinting to their tortured lungs as they filled with smoke.

" _You caused this,"_ the voice repeated, " _You and one other, that is."_

"I-I don't understand," Amber managed to choke out. "Why would you do this to me?"

A cold wind seemed to wrap itself around her shoulders. " _Because I can,"_ it said, a light chuckle accompanying the words.

A small spark of anger seemed to light in the pit of Amber's stomach, though it did nothing to quell the fear coursing through her system. "I… I'll find you. I'll kill you!" she stated angrily, shaking from fear.

A fire welled up in front of her, and the voice laughed loudly. It drowned out everything. She clapped her hands against her ears, screaming as they started to bleed. A ring of fire grew around her, completely encasing her in a sphere of flames.

The voice sounded right in front of her, quiet, but easily heard over the roar.

" _Please, little Amber. Come find me."_

The fire crashed down on her, and everything went black.


	3. Chapter Two: The New Kid

_**A/N: I've been getting a couple complaints that the prologue is both confusing and lacking in information. That is**_ **deliberate.** _**It's not supposed to make sense for reasons that I won't reveal yet. For now, just roll with it.**_

 _ **I recently joined a Discord community called Writers' Haven. It's a public server for anything and everything FanFiction. If you'd like to join, you can use the link below:**_

 _ **Discord -dot- gg (slash) bTEXSRH**_

 _ **Finally, I'd like to give a huge shout out to Shadow8130 on Discord. He's been doing the betas for my recent chapters, and the quality of my writing has improved drastically as a result. Thanks so much!**_

* * *

As the days slogged onward, Amber fell into a routine. Getting up, especially after that horrible nightmare, had become increasingly difficult. However, she persevered – though for what reason, she didn't know. She wasn't sure what to think, really. The voice that had infected her father's corpse was still plaguing her constantly, worming its way into her thoughts at random, and waking her in a cold sweat every night. Amber responded by throwing herself into her life, determined to find the source. Half of her wanted to pretend it wasn't even real.

The other half knew better.

She'd get up and get ready for school before making her way into the kitchen, where her grandmother always had breakfast ready for her. At first, she tried to argue – she could make her own breakfast; her grandmother had no obligation – but Emily was nothing if not stubborn.

"Besides," she'd said as she turned back to the sausages she was frying, "I used to do this for your grandfather when he was still a Ranger. Not to mention it gets _me_ up in the mornings too," she laughed.

After breakfast, the teen grabbed her bag, said goodbye to her trusty turtwig, and started the short hike to school. A few minutes of walking led her to the corner of the main street, where she would meet Alex.

Despite her conflicted emotions, their friendship had quickly grown. Alex would smile, crack a joke, and then he'd walk her to school. Having several of the same classes and interests, as they soon discovered, didn't hurt either.

Classes would pass in a haze, and Alex and Amber communicated as little as possible with the other students. The teachers were great, however, and Amber found herself happily diving into her work. Her thirst for academics, something she really hadn't been able to cultivate in her hometown, was finally being quenched. After school, they headed back to Amber's home, where they would do their homework together while gorging themselves on fresh fruits and veggies from Emily's garden.

Every night, Amber would lay in bed, wondering what would await her in the morning. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Images of her parents' broken bodies would drive her to tears, and she would bite her pillow to keep her grandparents from hearing her sobbing.

* * *

 **-Twinleaf Academy-**

Thursday dawned brightly, and Amber and Alex quickly hurried to school. The schedule was somewhat different this time, however, and Amber questioned her more experienced friend in the matter as they entered the building.

"So, how do Thursdays work again?" she asked as they pushed through the main entrance.

Alex took a moment to finish chewing a slice of cold pizza he'd nabbed for breakfast before responding, "We meet with our advisory class in the morning, and after that, it's essentially a work day. You can catch up, or get ahead. Or," he added, sounding annoyed, "You can goof off like eighty percent of the school does. I'll probably use the time to finish that science essay so I can turn it in early."

Amber laughed. "I wouldn't mind getting ahead."

Alex nodded, then glanced at the ceiling as the two minute warning bell sounded. "Well, better head to class, I suppose."

Amber trailed after him as he trotted down the hall, pausing momentarily at his locker to drop off the majority of his books. While she was waiting, the hallway, which was normally filled with the voices of students, quieted considerably. Turning around, she saw that the students were staring down the hall, whispering to each other. Amber quickly recognized the situation. She'd been in the same one a few days prior, after all.

At the school's entrance, a pale skinned teenager had just walked in the door. He was sixteen, maybe seventeen, tall and skinny, but clearly well-built. He wore a pair of baggy blue jeans, white sneakers, and a faded sweat jacket with the word _Telekinetic_ embroidered down one side, which Amber vaguely remembered as some sort of band that was gaining fame in Unova. His hair was coal black and clearly unkempt, though he somehow pulled off the look well. He had a small mouth and nose, and the greenest eyes Amber had ever seen, like freshly polished emeralds. A pair of crutches were tucked under his arms. His left foot was in a boot, and Amber could see white bandages peeking out from under the sleeves of his jacket.

His gaze roamed over the hall, locking momentarily with each of the students', including herself, before starting towards the principal's office across the floor. He moved slowly, like every step hurt him, but no pain crossed his face. As he neared the door, one of the secretaries smiled warmly and waved him over.

"Another new guy?" Amber jumped as Alex spoke beside her. "Looks like something banged him up pretty good. D'you think he's from Unova too?"

Amber wasn't sure how to respond. "I… I don't know. He seems familiar, but… if he _is_ from Unova, we didn't meet, or at least know each other well."

Alex nodded, then turned towards their classroom. "C'mon, we're gonna be late." Amber sighed and followed him into the room.

* * *

Amber entered the room just as the bell rang and quickly took a seat beside Alex. Their advisory teacher, who happened to be Mr. Wendinson, hadn't arrived yet. She glanced at Alex. He shrugged and began pulling out his laptop. Amber grabbed one from the cart and joined him.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened and Mr. Wendinson walked in. He smiled at the class, but it was clear he wasn't garnering much attention. Instead, many of the students' eyes remained on the doorway, where the boy Amber had seen earlier stood.

"Good morning, students," Mr. Wendinson began. "Before we begin, we have another new face joining us. Sir?"

The guy walked a couple of steps into the classroom, and Amber noticed more bandages across his chest, revealed by his partially unzipped jacket. He wore a necklace as well, though the pendant was hidden from view. His face was a mask, but he spoke with a soft confidence. "Hello. My name's Terry Collins. I'm from Unova."

His name clicked in her head and Amber shot to her feet. "Terry?!"

"Do I know you?" Terry asked, his expression unchanged.

"I- no, I don't think so. But my dad mentioned your name many times. He said you helped him out on missions occasionally. His name was Jack Thompson."

Terry's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Mr. Thompson was your pops?" he asked incredulously.

Amber nodded. "But he never said anything about you being only sixteen!"

"Seventeen," he corrected her, then glanced at their teacher.

Mr. Wendinson looked flustered, but he forced a smile onto his face. "Well, it's good to see you have a familiar face to help acquaint you with the school. Now, today is an advisory day, so you won't be going to your regular classes. For now, why don't you take a seat? I'm sure I can get my hands on a test for you to take, to catch you up on the tail end of our atomic structures course."

Terry looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment he shrugged and took a seat next to Amber.

Mr. Wendinson began discussing the events expected to take place next week, but Amber's thoughts were far from the lecture. She stole repeated glances at Terry, who had taken a notebook out of his bag and was writing feverishly in it.

* * *

A couple hours past, and the lunch hour found Amber and Alex in their usual corner of the auditorium, chatting idly.

"We should have a battle one of these days," Alex told her. When she didn't respond, he followed her gaze across the room. The new kid, Terry, was trying to balance his lunch tray in one hand and use his crutch in the other. Somehow, he made it over to a table without spilling everything. He took a notebook out of his bag and began writing in it as he bit into his food.

Alex scowled. This new guy was moving in on his turf, and he didn't like it. That Amber was staring at him didn't sit well with him either. He tapped Amber on her shoulder.

"You knew him?" he asked her.

She turned back to him, and Alex did his best to clear his face. She shook her head. "No, but my dad did."

"You said your dad was a ranger," Alex remembered. "And he said Terry went on _missions_ with him?"

She shrugged. "He said Terry had a 'useful set of skills' when it came to helping wild pokémon."

"He never told you what they were?"

"Nope."

Soon enough, Alex finished his lunch, and he followed Amber out of the lunchroom. As they neared the advisory, a crowd appeared ahead of them. Alex caught Amber's eye. She shrugged and motioned that they should move. They pushed their way through the mass of bodies, and Alex took in the situation.

Damien and his friends, Luke and Todd, were tormenting one of the younger students. They had snagged her backpack and were throwing it back and forth over her head, out of her reach. Alex shook his head. Most of the other students were egging them on. Glimmer had her phone out, recording the whole thing and laughing. A few people here and there looked upset, too, but Alex knew they weren't enough to stand up to Damien's gang, even together.

"Give it back, Damien!" the girl said desperately.

"Give it back, Damien," the jock repeated in a snide, whiny voice. "Jeez, you sound like a squeaky-toy!"

Many of the students laughed. The girl looked to be close to tears. Amber caught his eye and he nodded to her. She nodded back and melted into the crowd, no doubt off to find a teacher.

As the bag made another flight, an arm suddenly shot out of the crowd and caught it. Everyone gasped as Terry stepped forward, only one of his crutches at his side. He glared at Damien and the other students. Carefully, he righted the bag and held it out to the girl.

"Th-thanks," she stuttered tearfully.

"Of course," Terry replied, smiling at her. "There's a few minutes left before next period. You should have enough time to clean up." He watched as she took her pack and quickly pushed her way out of the circle.

"Dude," Damien said exasperatedly. "You ruined the fun, man."

Terry slowly turned and glared at him. "People like you disgust me," he said in a calm voice that just barely contained the raging undertone that accompanied it.

Damien chuckled. "I know you're from Unova, so I'll be the one to let you in on the secret." He stepped forward until he was only a few inches away from Terry. Despite being several inches shorter, Terry held his ground. "Here, I'm in charge. And you can keep your little do-gooder ass out of my way."

"Why don't you make me, you piece of ponyta-shit?" Terry growled back at him. Alex's jaw dropped. No one stood up to Damien directly like that. Alex could get away with it if he played his cards right, but only by outsmarting him. Injured as he was, Terry was asking to get the shit beaten out of him at this rate.

By now, the hallway was dead-silent. Damien's face turned beet-red in embarrassment and anger. He started to pull back his fist.

"You don't have the guts," Terry said. "And even if you did, you wouldn't. After all, your drunk daddy wouldn't like it if you started another fight, would he?"

Damien's eyes widened, but he pulled his fist back all the way. With his other arm, he batted Terry's crutch out of his grip and took the front of his jacket in his fist. "How do you know about that?" he hissed, nose to nose with the other teen.

Terry shrugged, then winced as if the motion hurt him. "I've been in Twinleaf Town for about eighteen hours. That's plenty of time to get a feel of the rumor mills in any place."

Damien's fist shot forward, the ring on his middle finger poised to smash into his opponent's nose. However, before it connected, Terry brought his right hand up and grabbed Damien's wrist, trapping his fist completely. His other arm grabbed at Damien's other hand. He grabbed a couple of his fingers and twisted. Damien cried out and let go of him, and Terry quickly cocked his own arm and punched Damien square in the face. Alex winced at the loud crack. Damien fell backward, his hands over his nose, which was now bent and bleeding heavily.

"YOU BUCKER!" Damien shouted, hardly decipherable due to the break. "Get hib!" he shouted to Luke and Todd.

"You'll end up worse than him if you try," Terry warned them. Blood dripped sluggishly down his right hand as he slowly limped over to his crutch. He bent down and cursed as his injured knee hit the floor, before quickly righting himself. He leaned on the cane and glared at the three jocks. For their part, neither of Damien's lackeys looked interested in attacking Terry.

"People like you disgust me," Terry repeated. "Harassing younger students just for your own amusement. It makes me sick! And then you get all pissy because someone _finally_ decided to put a stop to it, and try to beat him up even though he's already injured enough." he shook his head. "You are completely fucking pathetic."

"That's quite enough, Terry." Alex spun around. Mr. Wendinson was standing at the back of the crowd, which was rapidly moving aside to let him pass.

"He hit Damien, Teach!" Luke said in his gruff voice. "Send him to the principal!"

"Quiet, Luke," Wendinson snapped. "I saw the whole thing. You, Damien, and Todd are coming with me. You'll apologize to the girl whom you were harassing, and then we'll discuss further punishment. Terry..." he glanced at the teen. Terry stared at Mr. Wendinson. His face was a mask once again. "Since you acted in self-defense, I'll let you off with a warning. Don't go baiting students like that again. Get cleaned up and get back to class."

"Yes, sir," Terry responded. He sounded more annoyed than anything. He quickly set off in the direction of the restrooms. The crowd quickly dispersed, and Alex glanced at his watch. There was about fifteen minutes left of the lunch hour. He made a snap decision and jogged after him.

As Alex pushed the door open, the sound of running water reached his ears. Terry leaned against one of the sinks. The necklace he'd seen him wearing earlier was now out, and he held the pendant in his palm. It was a small replica of Arceus' rings, inlaid with tiny emeralds that matched his eyes. In the center, where the rings would've connected to the rest of Arceus' body, a luxury ball was tucked safely away. He gazed at it as though hypnotized.

"I'm alright," he said softly, his eyes still on the ball. Suddenly, he caught sight of Alex. He stepped back in surprise, then yelped as he put his weight on his injured leg and fell roughly to the ground.

Alex rushed forward and stuck out his hand. Terry glared at him for a moment as he tucked the pendant back under his jacket. He took Alex's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Alex said haltingly. "I came to apologize for Damien's bullshit."

Terry gave Alex a once-over, then shrugged. "People like him exist everywhere. The only thing we can do is stand up to them."

Alex nodded, then gestured to Terry's necklace. "You're a trainer?"

Terry pursed his lips momentarily. "Yeah. I didn't want to take her here with me, but she was injured pretty badly too. My grandmother is taking care of me, but she's not very familiar or fond of pokémon, so I thought it was best to keep her with me until she's healed."

"Good call," Alex agreed. He held out his hand. "My name's Alex Gates, by the way."

Terry shook his hand hesitantly. "Terry Collins. It's good to meet you, Alex." He turned back to the sink, stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, and then spoke up. "So you're a friend of Amber?"

"Yeah," Alex answered haltingly. "Would you like to meet her?"

"You like her, don't you?"

 _Oh shit oh shit oh shit_ , Alex thought. It took him several moments to answer: "...Yeah. How'd you know?"

Terry shrugged. "I've always had a knack for reading people." He turned to me. "I'm not interested in her, or anyone really, right now, so don't worry."

"Alright," Alex replied, clearly relieved by the revelation.

"Just promise me that, whether or not you two become a thing, you keep her safe. She's the only person from Unova I've got left besides my partner."

"Of course."

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Alex exited the school building in Amber's wake. He took a deep breath of the fresh pine-scented air and grinned.

"Damn, that feels good!"

Amber laughed at his antics. "What, the fresh air or completing that essay?"

"Both!" Alex laughed along with her. As they neared the corner of the school parking lot, Alex spotted Terry hobbling along ahead of them. "Oi, Terry!"

The older teen turned and spotted Alex waving at him. He stopped and allowed them to catch up. "Hey," he said by way of greeting.

Alex shook his hand, then turned to Amber. "This is Amber. Apparently you two know each other?"

Amber looked nervous as she shook his hand. "No, Alex. Like I said before, we never met. He knew my father, though," she added. She glanced at him. "Right?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah. He was a good man." He frowned. "I'm sorry for your loss," he added sadly.

Before Amber could respond, another voice called out from behind them. "Oh, cry it up!"

Glimmer was jogging towards them, looking furious. The three of them glared as she slowed to a stop a few feet away.

"Glimmer," Alex stated, as though he were looking at an old, smelly boot. "What do you want?"

She paid him no mind, her eyes locked on Terry. "You're going to pay for that," she warned him. "Damien's gonna beat the shit out of you for what you did."

"Tell me, Glimmer," Terry responded innocently. "Which status update got more views: The one where you harassed that little girl, or the one where I downed your big bad boyfriend in one punch?"

Amber and Alex sniggered. Glimmer looked murderous for a moment, but then she turned on her heel and stalked off.

"She's like an annoying fly," Terry mused, loud enough for her to hear. "Ugly as hell and eats shit for all her meals." The other two laughed even harder at this, and a moment later, Terry joined in.

Amber invited them over to her house pretty quickly after that, and Alex quickly accepted. Terry was more hesitant.

"I've got to take care of Angel first," he said. "She's been cooped up in her pokéball all day."

"Oh, you've got a pokémon?" Amber asked him excitedly. "Could we meet her?"

Terry pursed his lips, looking uncomfortable. "I don't think that-" he paused mid-sentence.

"What?" Amber said.

After a moment, Terry shook his head. "She's pretty shy," he told them. "Not to mention she got hurt pretty badly during the fire… We've got a three day weekend, don't we?" he added. "I'll talk to her about it and maybe we can meet up tomorrow."

Alex glanced at Amber, who shrugged. "Sounds good, I guess," she said. They arrived at the corner of Amber and Alex's street, and the three stood awkwardly for a moment.

"It's good to meet you, Terry," Amber said.

"You too," he replied. He smiled at them, then turned and continued on towards the square. The two of them watched him go.

Alex studied Amber's expression. She stared after Terry, her face filled with… was that longing? Or regret? He wasn't sure.

She caught him staring and smiled at him. "C'mon," she waved at him. "Let's head back to my house. We might have time for a battle!"

Alex grinned. That would be entertaining.


	4. Chapter Three: Home Life

_**Ding dong!**_

"Get the door!"

"Yes, Grandmother… Who are you?"

"Hello. My name is Yuzo. I work as an assistant at Professor Rowan's laboratory in Sandgem town. We have heard rumors about-"

"She's not for sale. Piss off, and don't come near this house again."

"We only want to stud-!"

 _ **SLAM!**_

* * *

Alex woke slowly, wrapped in his thick blankets. His room was quiet and dark, save the dim light emanating from his PC. Photos bounced across the screensaver: images of himself at various ages, interacting with all sorts of pokémon.

Rubbing his eyes groggily, the teen glanced at the clock-radio on his nightstand.

 _ **7:29AM**_

It took him a moment to register what that meant, but by then, it was too late.

 _ **7:30AM**_

 _ **MEEP! MEEP! MEEP!**_

" _ **Hello, Sinnoh! This is your local DJs, the Twinleaf Twins, bringing you the morning report!"**_

"Wha!" Alex yelped as the radio's speaker thundered into the small attic. He flung an arm outwards in an attempt to smash the snooze button. It collided painfully with his desk, and he yelped even louder. The tangle of sheets constricted him, and Alex felt himself slipping. He flailed helplessly as he fell out of bed and onto the thin carpet floor.

He laid there for a moment, then reached up and slapped his clock again, silencing it.

"Guess I'm up," he grumbled to himself. "Would've liked to sleep in a bit more, though. No school, at least…" He rolled over and began untangling himself from his sheets. As he pushed himself to his feet, cursing under his breath, a chimchar's head appeared, popping out of a hole in the corner of the room.

"Morning, Felt," Alex sighed. "Sorry if I woke you, buddy."

The chimchar gave him a cry that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Alex narrowed his eyes at him, and the Chimp pokémon gave him a sly grin in return. He jumped fully into the room, hitting a light switch on the wall beside him as he did so. The old bulb over their heads flared to life, flickering pathetically. Felt jumped onto Alex's shoulder and nuzzled against him.

Alex rubbed the back of his partner's head in return. "What say we head up to the store and get a replacement for that bulb, eh, Felt?" he asked, glancing at the decaying globe above them. "We should have plenty of time before we meet up with Amber and Terry later." Felt gave him a bark of agreement, and Alex nodded. "Right, let me get dressed, then."

Several minutes later, a fully dressed Alex strode into the living room. It was clearly high-class, with large leather sofas and rich mahogany furniture, not to mention the giant high-definition TV.

His parents were well off; his father managed a contracting business that operated primarily in Sinnoh, and his mother was a biologist, dedicated to studying the life in and around Lake Verity. They'd first met when Mr. Gates was tasked with the making of a large subdivision near the lake, which Gwen and her fellow scientists, backed by the local Pokémon Rangers, had gotten into a huge dispute over.

Despite being fairly cushioned, Alex was never spoiled. His parents made him work for nearly everything he owned, and while the boy was certainly annoyed about it in the past, he was very thankful for it now. He was good at managing his money, and he kept his grades up. His part-time job at the Pokémon Center, where he cleaned rooms and served in the lunch lines at the hotel, paid decently and tipped well.

He learned a lot there, too. Pokémon of all sorts came in every day, often with many different needs. The doctors there were certainly professionals, and they were happy to share their vast knowledge with anyone who wanted to listen. Alex was one of those people. He soaked up the treatments, theories, and facts like a sponge, and after passing both an extensive written test and a background test, was given permission to become a part-time aid, supervised by the more experienced healers. As such, his dream to become a pokémon doctor, or maybe even a breeder, was on track to become a reality.

Fenton Gates, who was seated on one of the couches, sipping a morning brew, looked up and smiled at his son. "Morning, kiddo," he greeted his child.

"Hey Dad," the younger male responded. He was certainly his father's son. The only way to tell them apart was the slight graying that had begun to bed itself in the roots of Fenton's hair. That and their fashion senses, of course. That was the one thing that Alex refused to listen to his parents about, and he and his father often butted heads about the "party attire" he wore everywhere.

"Your mother already left for Lake Verity," Fenton continued. "I've been called down to the branch in Kalos."

"The usual crap?" Alex asked as he grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit on the table.

"Pretty much," his father laughed. "I'll be heading to the airport shortly. Hopefully I'll only be gone a few days, but…"

"I know, Dad," Alex smiled at him. "I'll help Mom out while you're gone, don't worry."

Mr. Gates ruffled his son's hair. "Good." He strode towards the door, grabbing his jacket as he did so. Glancing back, he saw his son doing the same, and Felt was now perched atop his head. The father chuckled and scratched the Chimp pokémon's chin. "Where are you two headed, then?"

"Just to the grocery store," Alex responded. "Gonna replace that bulb before I meet up with Amber and Terry."

Fenton nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like a plan. Alright," he added as he stuffed his wallet into his coat pocket. "I'll see you in a few days, kiddo." He held out his hand, and Alex shook it firmly, as he had been taught. "Take care."

"You too," Alex responded. With that, Alex jogged out the door and across the lawn, the garage door groaning open behind him. As Alex reached the corner, his father's truck, old but well cared for, passed him by. Fenton waved from the driver's window. Alex waved back, wondering how long it would be before his father returned this time.

* * *

About a half hour later, Alex jogged into Twinleaf's town square. It was fairly small, and at only about 8:15 in the morning, hardly anyone was out. On one corner sat the local grocery store, its normally bustling storefront now nearly silent. This made sense, as it didn't even open for another fifteen minutes, after all. Alex wasn't worried, though. He made his way through the nearly empty parking lot, towards the main entrance. He peered through the sliding glass doors.

Near one of the registers was a lone clerk, wheeling a stack of crates through one of the main paths of the store. Alex recognized him and rapped on the glass with his knuckles. The cashier glanced towards him, and a smile broke out on his face. He carefully set his load down and strode towards them. The doors opened automatically, sensing someone with clearance to enter before the appropriate time.

"Heya, Alex!" the clerk said enthusiastically. He was a short, heavy-set man with thinning hair and an infectious smile. He was also one of Alex's first friends in Twinleaf. They'd met when Alex had first started at his elementary school, and he'd been his fifth grade 'reading buddy'. His job working in the sewers had worn him down hard, and despite only being in his early twenties, he looked at least forty. "It's a bit early to be out here, ain't it? Store don't open for another ten minutes or so. Shouldn't you be in class anyways?"

"Hey Jason," Alex greeted him. "How'd the killing go?"

"Got a little unlucky in the end," Jason chuckled conspiratorially. He reached out and petted Felt, who was sitting on Alex's shoulder. "Seriously though, what're you doing here?"

"No school today, and I need to replace a light bulb," Alex shrugged. "Was expecting to get here a bit later. Think you could let me in early?"

"No prob," Jason grinned. "Bulbs are in the hardware section." Alex nodded and followed him inside.

Alex spent a few minutes browsing the options, watching as Jason and the other clerks finished opening preparations. He had returned Felt to his pokéball when he entered the store, if only to keep the hyperactive chimchar from causing trouble.

"Find everything alright?" Jason asked as Alex approached the cash register.

"Of course I did," Alex said. "Why do you even bother to ask?"

"Part of my job, kid," Jason shot back jokingly. "Anyway…"

Jason took the small box from him, looked it over for a moment, then scowled. "The barcode is being a pain," he sighed. "I'll be right back."

"Sure thing," Alex nodded.

Jason strode off, leaving Alex beside the counter. The teen gazed around, watching as the first shoppers of the day began flowing into the store. A display at the electronics section began powering on, and Alex watched with interest. One particular TV caught his eye. It was tuned into a news channel, and the video feed appeared to be live. Jason hadn't come back yet, and the display wasn't too far away, so Alex decided to get a closer look.

 **Disaster Strikes Sinnoh!**

 **Terrorist Organization Wreaks Havoc - Civilians and Trainers Targeted**

" _Details on the group are still scarce,"_ a news reporter was saying. " _Reports are coming in from all over the region, ranging from Celestic Town to Sandgem and neighboring communities. Joining us now are Floyd Wyoming, chief of police in Jubilife City, and Dennis Thompson, retired Top Ranger of Sinnoh. Welcome, gentlemen."_

" _Good to be here,"_ Wyoming, a thin, but strong looking young man stated.

" _Of course,"_ Thompson said shortly. Alex did a double take. He shared little resemblance to Amber, what with his powerful build and stone-like face, but he wasn't sure. He made a mental note to ask her about it when he saw her later.

" _Now, what can you tell us about this group?"_ their host asked.

" _There's still a lot we're looking to confirm ourselves,"_ Floyd responded. " _At this time, however, I can confirm that no less than twelve trainers have been found dead across Sinnoh in the last twenty-four hours. Methods of death seem to have a wide range, from assault weapons to a large variety of pokémon attacks. All the assaults are violent, and several of the female victims have signs of rape, as well."_

" _Is there anything in common with all the attacks?"_

" _Yes. In all cases, the person targeted was a pokémon trainer, or otherwise had one or more pokémon under their care. All pokémon that were with the target have so far not been found, leading us to suspect kidnapping."_

Floyd paused for a moment, as if to think on his next words. " _Eight out of the twelve trainers were also known poképhiliacs, some of which were voices in their community. It is possible this group is biased against them, and targets them specifically."_

" _What are you doing to guard against these people?"_ The reporter questioned.

" _Gathering information,"_ Floyd stated. " _It's too early to draw conclusions. More serious action will be taken within the next couple of days, as clues present themselves. I'll be sure to keep you informed."_

" _That's good,"_ she replied. " _Mr. Thompson, as a Ranger as experienced as yourself, what do you recommend the public do to defend themselves?"_

" _Stay vigilant,"_ Dennis replied. " _Report anything suspicious to the police. And to those of you who are in a relationship with a pokémon, be wary. It is not confirmed whether these people are targeting poképhiliacs specifically, but you'd best be careful, just in case."_

" _Some of the reports we've been getting have said that the attackers wear "spacesuit-like" uniforms. This is unconfirmed, but it's something to look out for,"_ Floyd added.

"Those terrorists seem pretty mean," Jason's voice sounded from next to him.

Alex jumped slightly, not having heard the cashier return. He nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"'Course, if they're targetin' poképhiliacs, I say let 'em," Jason continued as they walked back towards the cash register. "Nasty thing, that."

Alex stared at him. "I didn't realize you were so against it."

"And why shouldn't I be?" Jason asked. "It's disgusting. It shouldn't be legal." He glanced at Alex. "You don't support it, do you?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm not really on either side," he said honestly. "I've never known anyone who has been in a relationship with a pokémon. Not to mention we can reproduce with them…"

Jason shrugged as well. "Just 'cause we can have kids with them doesn't mean it's right. It's unethical."

"Well, to each their own," Alex stated. Jason nodded and let the matter drop.

Alex exited the store, not really paying attention to where he was headed. _What_ do _I think?_ He wondered. _Is it unethical? I suppose there's an argument to be made… Of course there is, or it wouldn't be such a huge debate. Damnit…_

He ended up on the street corner, still lost in thought. Finally, he sighed.

"I'll figure it out later," he told himself. With that, he pushed it from his mind and set off.

* * *

At around eleven, Alex set off for Amber's house. The light cloud cover that had dawned earlier had long burned off, and the sky was a clear, bright blue. Many people were out in the sun, both humans and pokémon. Alex smiled and waved, but inside he was nervous; he was running a bit late. The walk wasn't far, but with the few delays he'd had at home, he had left later than he'd anticipated.

Finally, the faded house came into view. As he started up the driveway, Fate the turtwig bounded out of the lush greenery in the yard. Felt bounded off Alex's shoulder, and the teen watched with amusement as the two pokémon began chasing each other around the yard.

"Hey, Alex!" Amber's voice called out to him. Alex looked up and had to keep his jaw from dropping. Amber was dressed in a light turquoise tank top, with a darker blue skirt. Her eyes seemed to be glowing in the light, and her blonde hair appeared to be woven from sunbeams.

 _I'm doomed,_ Alex thought sadly to himself. Fortunately, he managed to find his voice: "Hi, Amber. How goes it?"

"It's going well," she responded, bounding down her front porch to meet him in the driveway. "Grandpa did an interview this morning on the news."

"I saw," Alex told her. "So it was your gramps, then? I recognized the name."

"Yep," Amber confirmed. "He's at Professor Rowan's now, on guard duty. They want someone watching the lab, but until they can get a dedicated Ranger there, Gramps was the only available person."

As they talked, they quickly fell into step together, headed towards the address Terry had given texted Alex the night before. Fate and Felt bounded through the woods on the side of the road, jumping, playing, and just generally causing a ruckus. It didn't seem to bother anyone, thankfully, and soon enough, the two of them turned onto Terry's street.

It didn't look too great. The directions had lead them into a more desolate corner of Twinleaf. The houses were spread far apart, and many appeared to be in various states of disrepair. The road was old and cracked in places; it clearly needed to be repaved.

Finally, they stopped in front of their friend's house. The building was dark, and the paint was sunbaked and peeling. The siding was falling off the walls in places, and the shingles atop the roof were on their last legs, if that. A sparkling black SUV was parked in the small driveway, next to an old, run-down two door sedan that was up on jacks.

Amber frowned. "This place doesn't look very nice."

 _ **CRASH!**_

"GET THAT WRETCHED CREATURE OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT, BOY!"

"What the fuck?" Alex asked.

Seemingly in answer, the rickety front door of the house burst open, and Terry came flying out. The teen paused on the small porch to readjust his crutches. His eyes flickered towards the two of them, and Alex took in his upset expression. Before he could so much as call out, Terry turned and bolted into the woods behind the house.

"Terry!" Amber yelled. "Wait!"

But it was no use. Despite his injuries, Terry sped through the woods. Within seconds he'd vanished, as though he'd been swallowed by the thin shadows of the trees.

"Let's go after him," Alex told her. "Something's up."

Amber nodded, but before either of them could make a move, the door of the house opened once again. An old, withering lady stepped out onto the front porch. She was dressed in robes and had a pair of thick glasses on her nose. Alex would've mistook her for a mourner at a funeral had the color scheme of her clothing been black rather than the dark red that it was.

"Who are you two?" She croaked at them.

"My name's Alex, and this is Amber," Alex responded. "We're friends of Terry's-"

"Then leave!" the woman snapped. "Find him and tell him that his grandmother wants him to clean up that damn vase he broke, and pay for it!"

"What?" Amber asked haltingly.

She was about to continue, but Alex spoke over her: "Yes, Ms…?"

"Fall-Collins," the lady responded. "Lord knows I wouldn't want to be related to that boy more than that."

Alex had to fight very hard not to mouth off at her. Instead, he turned on heel and started jogging in the direction Terry had gone. Amber hesitated for a moment before following. Ms. Collins stared after them for a moment, before closing the door with a creak.

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ WAS THAT?!" Amber burst out the moment she closed the door. She ran up alongside him, her face scrunched in anger. "She's an Arceus-damned witch!"

Alex couldn't agree more. "Terry told me yesterday that she wasn't fond of pokémon," he said, "but he didn't say anything about her being a nightmare."

"Nightmare is right," Amber responded. "Did you see his face? It was like she was going to beat him, or something." She paused, her eyes widening. "You don't think…?"

"No," Alex told her. "Well, maybe. But remember, he took on Damien with those injuries and was just fine. On the other hand…" Alex paused for a moment, thinking. The two of them slowed to a walk, keeping a close eye out for their friend.

"What?" Amber asked.

"She's his grandmother," Alex replied slowly. "We haven't known him very long, but… Well, I can't see him fighting back against her, even if she's abusive."

Before Amber could respond, a clearing came into view ahead of them. At the far edge was a thick tree. Terry reclined against the base, his head tucked between his knees, shaking like a leaf. He looked nothing like the fearless teen they'd seen the day before. Standing beside him was a small, human-like pokémon. She gently rubbed his back, and tears were flowing down her cheeks. As Amber and Alex slowly approached, she looked up, then whispered something to him.

Terry flinched and slowly looked upward. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and his lips trembled. "W-what're you two doing here?" he asked nervously.

"Chasing after you," Amber responded gently. " _What happened?_ "

Terry just shook his head, looking back at the ground. "I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

Instead of responding, Amber moved closer to him. Alex followed, gazing intently at his friend. After a moment, his eyes widened. The back of his neck was blotched purple and black, as though he'd been struck by a baseball bat.

"Did she hit you?" he asked sharply. Terry's only response was a shiver, which was all the confirmation he needed. "I'm calling the police," he stated firmly, standing and pulling out his phone.

As Alex dialed the emergency line, Amber sat down on Terry's other side. She wrapped her arms gently around Terry's head and shoulders. The older teen stiffened, then began to slowly relax.

"Yes," Alex was saying. "...No, it's not life-threatening. We'll come to the station soon… Thank you." He ended the call and pocketed his phone, then turned to the two of them.

"The officers there are very concerned," he informed them. "They've heard rumors about her being a nuisance and acting abusive towards other kids in the area in the past. We need to head to the station and make a report," he finished.

Terry shook his head frantically. "Crowds," he whispered. "I can't deal with them right now."

"Could you tell us?" Amber asked him. "Alex could record it. Then we could send it to the officers."

Terry didn't answer right away, and the whole forest seemed to go silent. Just when Alex thought he had shut down completely, Terry spoke: "Y...yeah. I… I want to start at the beginning."

Alex nodded, then sat down in front of him. Amber slowly broke away. Terry sat up, and the pokémon at his side crawled gently into his lap. Her presence seemed to reassure him.

"Alright," Alex stated, He pulled out his phone, tapped the camera icon, and started recording. "Go ahead."

But when Terry began telling his story, it wasn't like anything either of them had expected.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Big thanks to Shadow8130 for doing the beta-read! Did you spot the references in this chapter? Let me know in a review!**_

 _ **Good luck, and Happy reading and writing!**_

 _ **-Orthros**_


	5. Chapter Four: Route One

_**AN: Sorry for the delay! I took a short hiatus to sort out the end of the school year. After that, I finished the chapter fairly quickly. Unfortunately, my main beta reader was very busy. I ended up combing through the rest of it myself. There might still be some small errors in it, but I believe I got the majority. However, it's finally ready to be posted. Big thanks to Shadow8130 for checking over most of it for me! After this, we should be back on a normal schedule.**_

* * *

 **One Week Ago…**

"Contact!"

"Get down!"

A middle-aged man with a stony face and short, light blonde hair dove sideways as a hail of bullets thundered into the trees around him. His red and black ranger's uniform stunk of sweat, earth, and blood, but he was neither bothered nor winded. He covered his head protectively with one arm as he scrambled behind a tree. His well-trained brown eyes spotted a dark blue suit through the growing darkness, and he waved a hand at it.

The officer nodded in conformation and motioned at someone the ranger couldn't see. He moved forward, an assault rifle tucked in his grip. Without warning, he raised it and began firing. The ranger slapped his hands over his ears as gunfire from not one, but at least _ten_ weapons blasted into the night, melding into a terrible roar of death.

As the policeman passed the ranger's hiding place, a device on the man's wrist began vibrating. He pulled it up to his eyes. It was about the size of a mobile phone, square shaped and colored to match his uniform. He tapped the blinking red button, and a screen popped up. The display turned on, revealing a scene that the man was very relieved to see.

"Jeremy!" he exclaimed, yelling into the mic over the roar of the gunfire.

"Jack," the man responded. "Thank Arceus you're still alive. The team and I thought you'd been offed at the start of all this shit."

"I nearly was," Jack Thompson replied somberly. He glanced upward as the shooting suddenly vanished. His allies had pushed their enemies back, and he watched them sprint off in pursuit as he continued, "I'm a bit banged up, but I'll survive."

"A bit?" Jeremy asked incredulously. "Your styler says you've got a cut on your leg that's longer than my arm."

Jack glanced down at his leg and was surprised to see a thin slice in his pants. As soon as he saw it, the limb spiked with pain. He stifled a groan and pulled the cloth back. The cut wasn't deep, but it was long and would likely scar. Blood oozed slowly out of the wound, staining the fabric of his uniform.

"Well... shit," he muttered. "I didn't even notice."

"Don't worry," Jeremy told him. "Chicks dig scars."

"Won't stop Tracy from killing me," the wounded ranger responded. "How's the battle going?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"As well as can be expected," Jeremy replied. "The military force has put up a tremendous fight. Whoever these bastards are, they met some _serious_ resistance."

"And the rangers?"

"We're all uninjured," the younger man assured his leader. "We've stayed the hell out of the way. Our main tasks have been to keep the wild pokémon safe, so we've been evacuating as many as we can back towards Nuvema Town. The fighting's mostly stayed to the north, and our operators are doing a good job keeping us informed of the enemy's movements. Although…"

"What?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes at the screen.

"From the look of things, whoever these people are, they're trying to round up wild pokémon en masse," Jeremy explained. "Between the military and ourselves, they haven't been succeeding, but they've really been trying. A lot of the pokémon are being injured in the process, despite our efforts. There are several groups of wild ones that have barricaded themselves off and attack anything that comes near them, including us."

Jack wasn't surprised. It was only natural for the pokémon to band together. And if some were injured, it would make sense for them to feel the need to protect themselves. Contrary to popular belief, the ranger's uniform often _wasn't_ recognized, and why would it be? Wild pokémon don't know any better. If anything, they'd see the same uniform on multiple people and deduce that they were working together to accomplish whatever their goal may be. No, this was to be expected.

"For now, leave them in peace," Jack ordered. "Leave food, water, and natural healing items near wherever their hiding places are and then setup a lookout. If the pokémon decide to trust the lookout, fine. If not, we'll do more when no one's shooting at us."

"Yes sir," Jeremy responded firmly. "Would you like one of us to come and get you?"

"No. I'm fine. You have your orders."

Jeremy nodded once, a serious expression on his face. "Stay safe, Jack." The call ended, and the display reverted to his status screen.

 _ **Multiple Lacerations! Seek Medical Attention!**_

 _ **Your Partner is Out of Radar Range!**_

"No guarantees," he muttered as he closed his display. Bracing himself against the tree, he stood slowly. His wounded leg throbbed in protest, but it wasn't unbearable, and he had more important things to worry about. He began limping slowly through the forest. Gunfire echoed in the distance, mixed with the cries of pokémon and humans alike.

" _Krooowww!"_

A piercing screech echoed through the fading dusk light, and Jack gazed upward as the dark blue body of a powerful honchkrow dove out of the sky. It landed gracefully in front of him, its dark eyes glittering with intelligence.

Jack chuckled. "I told that son of a bitch not to help me," he said, sounding almost exasperated. "I suppose he did send you?" The honchkrow nodded. "Very well. Just let me transfer the leadership…" With a flourishing wave of his arm, the ranger activated his styler.

"Capture on!"

* * *

By the time Jack had been released from the Pokémon Center, his leg wrapped tightly in bandages, night had truly settled over Unova. Forces that had been deployed by the Sinnoh Company had arrived about an hour before, and as the Ranger's watch struck midnight, the fighting began to die down. A few dozen people had been apprehended, but the dead outnumbered them four to one. Jack watched from atop Honchkrow's back as they were carted away. The bile he'd forced down multiple times that night threatened to make an appearance again, but he swallowed it back once more and urged his friend onward.

The paved streets passed by below them until they reached the edge of the city, at which the trees began. Jack gazed intently at the ground, eyeing the dark forest in search of his team. He hadn't heard anything from Jeremy or the others since the communication nearly three hours prior, and he was getting worried.

It was several minutes later that he spotted a clearing at the base of a small hill. Flashlights pierced the darkness, glinting off several uniforms, and Jack felt an overwhelming rush of relief as he recognized the five familiar red and black clothed people.

"Down there," Jack told the big boss pokémon. Honchkrow cawed in response and turned downward into a gentle dive. Jack would've preferred something much steeper - he practiced vertical diving on staraptor and unfezant often - but when his leg throbbed at only this slight angle, he appreciated his friend's insight.

They landed at the edge of the clearing. Several flashlights had been propped up, illuminating the entrance to a small cave in the hillside. A huge pillar of ice had been constructed in front of it, leaving only a small gap in the top for air.

"Jack!" a relieved voice called out. Jack, who'd just dismounted, tore his gaze from the cave, turning just in time to see an auburn-haired girl crash into him. She hugged him fiercely, her grip like iron.

"Cat," he wheezed, gasping for breath. "It's good to see you too… Air…"

"Oh, my bad!" Cat quickly let him go and stepped back. As Jack caught his breath, he took her in. A few stray locks of her hair covered her small face and brown eyes. Her expression was one of delight, but Jack knew her well. She was exhausted.

"Let him breathe, Cat," a deep voice called from behind her. Jack turned his gaze towwards the eldest member of their group. "Jack," Wadsworth continued, taking his leader's arm in his weathered hand and giving it a firm shake. "You look like hammered shit," he laughed.

"Yeah, Unova will do that to you," Jack chuckled in response, slapping him on the back. He turned his gaze to the others: Jeremy, with his crew cut, pouring over his newly acquired Top Styler; Wally, five foot two inches tall and another two feet of attitude to boot; and Ferris, their quick to a joke greenie with a big heart and a bigger skill in healing.

"It's good to see all of you unhurt," Jack raised his voice a bit, and his squad immediately lined up in front of him. "I'm sorry I couldn't be alongside you for the fighting. I was a bit preoccupied. That said, you all did very well without me." The team beamed at that. "Now," Jack continued, his tone all business. "What's the situation?"

"A group of local wild pokémon have barricaded themselves in that cave," Jeremy explained quickly. "From what we could gather, several of them have at least minor injuries. Best guess, they rallied around whatever leader they nominated, and that pokémon made the ice barrier."

Jack nodded and approached the cave, doing his best not to limp. It was smaller than he'd thought at first, maybe five feet tall at most, and filled to the very top with a smooth, misty wall of ice. If Jack had to guess, it was several feet thick at minimum. He could hear noise coming from the other side: nervous non-human voices chittering anxiously to each other. He rapped his knuckles across the ice.

"Hello?" he called. The voices ceased at once.

"It's okay," Jack continued quickly. "My name's Jack Thompson, and these guys are my friends. We're Pokémon Rangers. We're here to help. Would you come out, please?"

Silence grew as they waited for an answer. After a few moments, he continued, "The terrorists are gone. We've got food, water, and supplies to heal your injuries. We won't hurt you."

"They aren't coming out," a voice called out from behind the squad. Jack and the other rangers spun around. In one of the trees at the back of the clearing, a young man was perched in a low branch, just barely in visible in the edge of a flashlight beam. His messy black hair only grew more tousled as he leaned his head against the bark, wrapping his arms around one of his knees. His sweat jacket had the faded word _Telekinetic_ embroidered down one arm.

"Terry!" Jack exclaimed as the teen vaulted from his branch. "It's good to see you," he continued, shaking his arm firmly.

The rest of the Rangers held similar looks of relief, except for Ferris, who raised his hand. "Um, I'm lost. Who is this kid?"

"Terry Collins. He's a bright young man that's helped us out on missions around Nuvema and neighboring communities in the past," Wadsworth told their newest member.

"Glad you're not hurt," Jeremy interrupted, nodding to the boy. "Where were you?"

"After I made sure my family was safe, I protected the citizens," Terry responded. "The local police force was happy to have a hand, but the boys from the Sinnoh Company didn't know who I was, so once they arrived I just stayed out of the way."

"Sounds like you were busy," Cat said, handing him a water bottle.

"You could say that," Terry chuckled, but it sounded forced. He uncapped the bottle and drained three quarters of it before continuing; "anyway, like I said, those pokémon aren't interested in coming out anytime soon."

"How do you know?" Ferris asked.

"I have my ways," Terry told him mysteriously, eliciting chuckles from the rest of the group. "We'll have to bust through the ice," he continued, nodding to the cave.

"You sure about that?" Jack asked.

"Got any better ideas?"

"No, not really," the ranger admitted. "But they won't like that at all. They feel cornered enough as it is. If we break through, they'll likely attack."

"So capture them," Terry said simply.

"Wise ass," Jack laughed. "Alright, Honchkrow," he addressed the big boss pokémon, who'd been watching from a nearby tree branch. "Think you could cut through that ice with Night Slash?"

" _Krowww!"_ Honchkrow screeched. It vaulted off the branch, climbing straight up. The, it began to dive. Dark purple energy began to radiate from its talons. He dove diagonally and smashed his talons into the ice, flaring his wings to avoid hitting the cliffside. The thick blockade exploded with a hollow _boom,_ and the chunks fell out the front, leaving a decently sized hole.

A dozen different beams of energy blasted out in response, forcing the rangers to scatter. Pokémon flowed out of the hole, racing in all directions, but the team was ready. Five shouts of "Capture on!" were yelled simultaneously, and the bright tops blasted out to circle them all. Jack whipped his around a group of patrat and lillipup. Cat circled a trio of buneary. Wadsworth and Jeremy both guided their stylers towards a group of pidove, flapping madly away from the scene.

In seconds, it was all over. "Capture complete," Jack stated, and three other voices echoed him.

Only Ferris hadn't pulled out his styler. Trusting his team, the newest member had begun assembling his field healing station.

"Check the cave," he told them as the now calmed pokémon started to line up for a health inspection. "Make sure there aren't any injured left."

Jeremy nodded and moved forward. He reached the cave entrance and peered inside.

"I don't see-"

" _BARREL!"_

A terrible war cry echoed out of the cave, and the others snapped around as Jeremy was blasted back by a ferocious hydro pump. Before they could react, a bibarel jumped out, eyes wide with anger. The beaver pokémon was clearly no pushover, and its eyes were focused squarely on Jeremy, who was lying dazed on the ground.

"Jeremy!" Jack and Cat both raised their stylers, but there was no time. Another hydro pump blasted out of bibarel's mouth, raging towards the downed ranger.

A foot from his head, the water exploded on thin air.

Terry moved slowly forward, arms held out in front of him. His eyes glowed light blue, as though his corneas had been splashed in neon paint. A shield glowed around his body, looking as though it'd been woven from pure light, stopping the powerful spray.

"Hurry up!" the teen gasped, his arms shaking.

Jack wasted no time. "Capture on!" he yelled, slinging his arm wildly. His top blasted out of the styler, quickly beginning to ensnare the beaver pokémon. Within moments, the capture had been completed. Bibarel stopped its attack at once.

"Jeremy!" Cat ran forward, Wadsworth on her heels.

The young Top Ranger sat up, shaking his head and holding his chest. "'M okay," he mumbled as his teammates bent over him. "Caught me by surprise is all."

Jack, who was watching with close interest, noticed Terry stumble. He rushed over and helped him kneel in the grass, then recoiled slightly as the teen started to dry-heave.

"What the hell?" Ferris asked, hurrying over as well. "What's wrong with him?"

"Exhaustion, I think," Jack responded. Terry nodded weakly, his body beginning to go limp. The two rangers pulled him to the base of one of the trees and leaned him against it.

"But how'd he _do_ that?" Ferris wondered aloud.

"He's a psychic," Jack told him quietly as he placed another bottle in the boy's hand. "A human psychic, and a powerful one at that. They're really rare. He's one of only a dozen or so in Unova, from what he's told me."

"I didn't know that was possible," Ferris responded, shaking his head.

"We didn't either, at first," Jack said. "He developed them several years ago, back when I was still a rookie and Earl was leading the Nuvema Rangers. As part of his training, he came on missions with us. He used his powers to communicate with the wild pokémon and enlist their help. He's even able to heal, from what I hear."

"Yeah," Terry said, turning the two ranger's focus back onto him. "If I overdo it, though, I get nauseous." His voice came out as a ragged croak, and Jack laid a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"Just rest, kid," the top ranger instructed him. "You did well tonight. We'll get you back home soon."

The teen nodded and closed his eyes. By the time Jack and Ferris had gotten to their feet, he'd passed out.

* * *

 **-Present Day-**

Silence seemed to echo through the clearing. A soft wind cut through the quiet, rustling a nearby pile of leaves.

" _Wow,"_ Amber finally whispered. "That's amazing…"

"You can really do all that?" Alex asked, a sliver of doubt in his voice.

Terry shrugged. He gazed around the clearing until he spotted a broken branch lying at the base of one of the trees. His eyes narrowed, and the stick rose off the ground, trapped midair in his telekinetic embrace.

"So cool…" Amber's eyes were wide. "How do you do it?"

"I don't know for sure," Terry admitted. "I can use telekinesis like you might control an arm or a leg; it's entirely instinctual. I have no clue where the ability originated from, though."

"What else?" Amber asked excitedly. "Can you read minds? Are you telepathic?" she hesitated for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Can you _fly?"_ she whispered.

Terry, though, winced, and Alex put an arm on his friend's shoulder. "It's alright, Terry," he said evenly. "So, what happened next?"

Terry's gaze fell. "I…"

"What?" Amber asked, her voice soft.

"...You don't want to know what happens next," he whispered. The pokémon in his lap squealed as his grip involuntarily tightened, and he hurriedly released her. "Shit! Sorry, Angel," he told her.

The kirlia gazed up at him for a moment, then shifted until she was laying in the crook of his arm. She spoke quietly. Neither Amber or Alex knew what she was saying, but Terry seemed to understand.

"...Alright," he said. "I'll tell them."

Alex nodded, then repositioned his phone. "So, what happened next?" he repeated.

"Nothing," Terry started. "At least, that I know of. I didn't wake up till morning, and by then I was back in my room…"


End file.
